No factions but just cliques in ZANU-PF

Transport Minister Joram Gumbo today said there are no factions but just cliques in the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

First Lady Grace Mugabe said on Friday factionalism was rife in the Midlands and Masvingo, provinces dominated by Karanga and also perceived to be Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s strongholds.

Gumbo told The Standard: “To be honest with you, factionalism is difficult to detect. What I normally find are cliques and not factionalism as such because in the Midlands Province, there is always allegiance to the leadership that is there.

“When Mnangagwa was not vice-president, he was leader of the province.

“He just led us to believe and never to think otherwise but just to say our leader is President Mugabe until he leaves office.

“Other than cliques, there is no factionalism. Even if you go around the country, I have been around, I have been to Masvingo, I chaired Masvingo myself.

“What I discovered was that the leadership there would make preferences of people they want in positions and the group would also make preferences for their own people. if that is what people call factionalism, then the whole country is full of factionalism.”